Amid rumors of moldy Kraft Mac & Cheese, TikTokers claiming to be food manufacturing workers share other corporations that allegedly use the same practices.
TikToker @jpall20 posted a recap video of several comments she found calling out manufacturing factories. Jpall20 has reached over 1.9 million views and 267,000 likes on her viral video by Tuesday.
She began her video by stating, “By now, I’m sure you all have seen this picture,” while showing a viral image that allegedly shows a moldy mixer from a Kraft Heinz factory.
If you haven’t, Jpall20 said that according to the worker who posted this photo and has allegedly since been fired, “this is what their mixers look like after five days.”
Jpall20 added that the Kraft worker claimed the factory cleans the mixers every 19 days, even though they are moldy by the fifth.
The Daily Dot recently reported on the image, and Kraft Heinz responded to deny the claims. A Kraft Heinz spokesperson told the Daily Dot the claims “are not true” and that “the photo shared is of a mixer machine that was broken and not in use.”
“As always, comments are very important,” Jpall20 said. “We’re never gonna believe the corporations over the people.”
Jpall20 began to read off multiple comments left under a previous post about the situation.
One commenter said their brother previously worked in the string cheese vat at a Kraft factory. “He checked it one day and it had every color of mold you could imagine,” the comment said. “He confronted his supervisor and was told it’s not your job to be looking.”
The worker was allegedly told to “just bleach it extra and send it out.”
Another commenter said despite never working in a Kraft factory, she has noticed changes in the Mac & Cheese in recent years. “I’ve seen lots of black little specs in Kraft Mac boxes now… like in the past 3 years noticed them,” they wrote.
“Every time I’ve opened Kraft Mac n cheese lately I’ve gotten a faint whiff of mold,” another said.
Other commenters who claimed to work in food manufacturing factories said Kraft Heinz is not the only company that operates under these conditions.
“I’ve worked in food manufacturing for almost 10 years,” one commenter said. “This is exactly what every food manufacturer looks like except one week every quarter for audits.”
@jpall20 Fresh food only!! #freshfood #processedfood #factory #kraft #kraftmacandcheese #heinz #heinzketchup #mold #moldy #toxic #foodprep #foodsafety #corporationssuck ♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
A commenter who claimed to be a former Vlasic worker said, “the moldy, mushy, decomposing cucumbers go to relish. Enjoy.”
“When I worked at Pillsbury,” another said, “there were rooms with mold climbing the walls.”
Before ending her video, Jpall20 said this is “literally the tip of the iceberg” because she found “so many” more comments just like these. “Why are these companies so disgusting?” she asked.
The remarks Jpall20 read in her video seem to have been taken from the comments section of a video she previously posted. In the clip, Jpall20 only discussed the Facebook post that the photo appears to have originated from.
Even though she hoped the claims in the post weren’t true, she questioned, “Where would this person have gotten these pictures from if not from that?”
“Also, why would this man jeopardize his job if it wasn’t true?” she added.
Jpall20 said that companies do “a lot of heinous things behind our backs with food.”
Jpall20 did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Dot verifying that the comments used are from food manufacturing workers. The Daily Dot also contacted Kraft Heinz via email and Pillsbury and Vlasic via media contact form for comment.
Update 7:43am CT, Jan. 25: In an email to the Daily Dot, a Kraft Heinz representative shared the following statement:
“Our employees follow the highest of standards for food safety at our plants and participate in regular and rigorous third-party inspections to ensure food quality. Food from our plants is extensively tested for quality before it leaves our facilities. Our employees take great pride in making high-quality food, and we proudly serve our food to our own families.”
